The Wake
by Allieapplesauce
Summary: When the M.A.L.P. brings back data that PX9-292 is seemingly uninhabited, SG-1 embarks through the Stargate. It doesn't take long for the team to find themselves face-to-face with the local hostiles, who there is no reasoning with. Along with a man they don't trust, can SG-1 make it back to the Stargate without losing any of their members?
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is the second SG fic I have written. I only posted a first chapter so far, so it's not exactly attention grabbing just yet, I guess. But I wanted to see if it was worth continuing on with.

I will try to be as accurate to the terminology and timeline as possible. I'll do what research I can, but if I am not sure, then I'm taking the liberty of making stuff up that sounds good to me.

I wish the show were still on, and I wish I owned them!

Reviews would be a great help!

**Chapter 1**

At first, there was only darkness. Then, a faint source of light from somewhere in the distance crept into view.

"Switching to IR."

A copse of tree trunks fell into view, ground cover rising up to meet tree branches in many spots. The light was dim, filtering through the trees from above and in the distance. Nothing else could be seen except the trees: no animals, no humans, no sign of any other life.

"Any signs of life other than the usual...trees?" Colonel O'Neill asked.

"Some. Very faint. The data indicates an atmosphere perfect for life, Sir. Could be they're some distance from the 'Gate." Carter indicated to the digital readings on the monitor in front of her. She glanced up at General Hammond for confirmation.

Since they had already had a round table discussion about the planet, Hammond nodded, "you have a go, SG-1."

* * *

Teal'c, Daniel, Carter, and Jack exited the Stargate on PX9-292, which was located on a slab of stone with three stone steps leading to the ground. This Stargate stood within the thicket of trees they had seen through the M.A.L.P. The M.A.L.P. had indicated approximately ten Klicks of woods in any direction, though it appeared that a small body of water-a stream or small lake-lay to the north-east of the Stargate.

Without discussion, the group headed in the direction of the water, since any human-like life that lived on this planet, would most likely have settled in close proximity to the water.

They'd been walking for a few hours, each aware of any noise or movement around them, yet passing the time telling jokes or stories. Most of Teal'c's went over their heads-even Carter's-but somehow Teal'c always elicited at least a chuckle or two. It could be said that Teal'c didn't always understand the humor in Tau'ri jokes himself.

At this point in the day, the sun was now overhead and they had left the wooded area about an hour ago. The land here was grass and weed strewn, a few trees here and there, much to Jack's relief, but as of yet, no signs of life at all. No birds had made a sound in the trees if they existed. No ground animals lurked through the grass; not even a bee. The trees and the grass looked relatively similar to what they were used to. At this point, Jack wasn't sure that he could tell apart an Earth tree from another-world tree.

Just as Jack was growing bored with the walking and the talking and the jokes, they finally reached where the land sloped up for a few hundred yards before dipping back down. As they reached the top, they could finally see the lake below a few Klicks away. They could also make out a few small buildings and other human-made items in the distance, but even with the scope, Jack couldn't see any people.

"Where do you think they went?" Daniel asked as they headed down the slope. With the sun high above them, its warm rays giving off heat like an oven, Daniel wiped sweat from his brow with his handkerchief.

The question was more a rhetorical one, for neither of them knew any more than the other. But, it was Teal'c who answered. "Perhaps they are all inside those buildings." It was a simple, obvious answer, but the why wasn't answerable just yet.

"I don't know if I buy that one. Have you noticed that the air seems a little...odd?" Jack asked.

"Odd how?" Daniel asked.

Jack stopped for a second and the rest of the group came to a stop as well. "I don't know, just...odd. It's too quiet. Everything is so...still."

Carter was looking around. "I can sense it too, Sir. Did you notice it back in the trees also?"

"Just since we crested the hill."

"Same here. Something's definitely off."

"There's no sign of immediate danger. I think we should go see if anyone is down there." Daniel said, looking at Jack for confirmation. Daniel was always itching to check out a new culture, or the remains of one.

"I agree with Daniel Jackson, but I believe it would be wise to be cautious." Teal'c said.

"Okay, as Teal'c said. Let's check it out." Jack said, and motioned with his hand to continue forward.

They approached the first outcropping of buildings, which were little more than dignified shacks, spanning perhaps two to three hundred square feet each, with open squares for windows. Jack called out a tentative hello and waited.

As no reply came, Daniel called out. "Please, we wish you no harm. We are peaceful explorers from Earth, known as the Tau'ri. We came through your Stargate. We would like to speak with you, learn your cult-"

"I think they get the point, Daniel." Jack muttered, lifting his P-90, but keeping his finger off the trigger.

Daniel rolled his eyes in annoyance but didn't say anything.

"Okay, Carter, Teal'c, check out the west side. Danny and I will check here to the north and we'll meet over there." He pointed.

"Yes, Sir." Carter responded and she and Teal'c headed off, ears and eyes alert. P-90s at the ready.

Just in case.

* * *

Daniel and Jack searched the first few shacks, but did not find anything interesting. The buildings were sparse, containing only a few key items that served as a bed, chairs, tables, cookware.

"Well, we can rule out gaining any new technology." Daniel commented as he picked up a bowl carved from a tree, some of its bark still clinging to the outside.

"Carter'll be disappointed she won't have any new doohickeys to play with." Jack responded, shoving a toe at a mound of what he assumed to be some sort of cloth piled in the corner. When nothing moved, he continued on.

"Should we move on then?" Daniel asked and left through the door without waiting for an answer.

* * *

As Carter and Teal'c made equally quick work of the buildings, they had separated. Noting no signs of life or immediate danger, they had silently concluded that to remain together would take longer than necessary. A quick glance in through a door or window revealed to Carter that nothing moved inside. Then she moved on to the next unless something interesting inside caught her eye. After checking a dozen or so buildings, the distance between buildings grew, as did their dimensions and sophistication. Carter silently noted the differences, reminding herself to speak to Daniel about it when they met up.

She finished searching the last house, noting that Teal'c actually seemed to have fallen behind. She pressed the clicker on her radio. "Teal'c? Find anything?"

"I have, indeed not, Major Carter," came Teal'c's stoic reply.

Carter sighed. They had visited many planets that held little to no valuable information or technology, and despite the chaos and danger they had been fraught with over the past year, from Cassie's sickness, their almost disastrous meeting with the Aschens', their counter attacks to get rid of Anubis. Again; Daniel's death, Jonas joining SG-1, almost drowning on an abandoned ship with Colonel O'Neill, more Replicator nonsense, only recently getting Daniel back from his time as an ascended being...Carter sighed again. Okay, that last thought was a positive one. And they did manage to procure the tretonin and aid the rebel Jaffa in becoming one step closer to freeing themselves from their-ahem-god.

But this was disappointing. Unless whoever had built these buildings were somewhere nearby, all seemed to be abandoned. That is, until Carter began to notice odd things about the buildings. Some of the windows had wood covering them and a few of the doors seemed to be barred from the inside. One of the larger buildings that lay open had a chair laying on its side, a bowl made of bark laying on the floor near the bed, the remains of a sticky, oatmeal-like substance congealed to the bowl and the floor near it.

_Okay, now we're getting somewhere, _Carter thought, feeling that spark of adrenaline rush through her.

"Carter, Teal'c." Jack's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Here, Sir."

"I am here." Teal'c said.

"We have nothing over here. I say we head back."

After a slight pause, Carter commented on the overturned chair and bowl. "Perhaps they left in a hurry because they heard the Stargate engage. They may just be scared. We could be the first to come here. Obviously they're hundreds of years behind us in technology."

There was silence on Jack's end as he thought about what Carter said. On the one hand, he would love to just head back to the Stargate, gather up his fishing gear and head off for a weekend of relaxation, but on the other hand, some action would be nice too.

While Carter waited for Jack's order to retreat or continue, she walked around the side of the next building and came to a quick halt. "Sir, there's a body."

Propped up next to the building was the body of what looked like a man, legs out straight, head bowed forward, hands limp beside him. "I'm going to check it out."

"Be careful, Carter. Are you sure it's dead?"

"Pretty sure. I'm not an expert, but based on the sun and temperature on this planet, I would say it hasn't been long. Maybe a few days."

"Sickness?" Jack asked.

Sam shrugged even though no one could see her. Teal'c had yet to catch up with her. "I don't think so. Wouldn't there be more bodies?"

"Just don't touch it." Jack warned.

"I won't." Carter had just made her way to the body, being sure to keep some distance. She bent down to look at the face, but it was mostly hidden in shadow by its position. The hands looked fat and jelly like, though the skin remained clear and free from bruising as the blood clotted and the body began to break down. She didn't see any obvious signs of a struggle or cause of death. In fact, the ground around her, which had become more sandy than grass-covered, was smooth except for her own tracks. She stood up and pressed the button. "Sir, I think we should check it out. See if there are any others. If they're sick, we might be able to help."

Jack didn't like it, but what harm could they be in? Their only sign of possible life was dead.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Carter said, "the readings on my HDC show no signs of toxicity. Whatever killed him, it's not airborne."

"Okay. Hang on Carter, we're on our way." Jack said.

"As am I." Replied the long-silent Teal'c.

As Carter stood there, she glanced around her for other bodies, wondering why there would be only one, and if there was a connection between the evidence that someone had left in a hurry.

Carter let out a gasp as she felt something tighten around her ankle. Her head snapped to the ground. The body was no longer just a body, but a moving body. Though still looking much more dead than alive, it had grabbed her leg and was attempting to drag her leg out from under her with a non-human like whine. It now looked up at her as she tried to pull her leg from its grasp. Its eyes were milky white and its face was puffy, its tongue snaking through its fat lips, purple and thick to match. Carter shoved the butt of the P-90 against its head to throw it off-balance, but instead, the P-90 smashed through its skull with a wet, squishy sound. Carter grimaced and retracted the P-90. The thing reared up, grabbing at her BDU vest, its face now in full view. Carter was repulsed and shoved at it as hard as she could, knocking it to the ground. She was just about to fire the P-90 when someone-or something-grabbed at her from behind. Trying to swing around, she was knocked to the ground. A second one of those bodies fell on top of her and the point of a blade just narrowly missed slicing into her cheek. A gooey mass of skull, brain, blood, and other tissue seeped out of the crushed skull and all over Carter. She saw the first body getting up again and quickly shoved the second body off of her, taking in the smell of death that now covered the front of her body.

A hooded figure stepped in and took care of the thing that had gotten to its feet. It fell to the ground and remained still. The figure turned to Carter and reached out a hand. Carter looked up at the figure, but couldn't see a face. Remaining on the ground, propped up on elbows, Carter asked, "who are you?"

Instead of answering, he just waved his outstretched hand. Carter took it and was brought to her feet. She asked again, "who are you? Where did you come from? We couldn't detect any signs of life here."

As the voice spoke, Carter inhaled. "That is because they are all dead. Or most of them. As we will be soon if we don't get to the Stargate."

Carter backed away. Though she couldn't see his face, she couldn't mistake the voice. "Colonel? Teal'c?" Carter spoke to her radio. There was no reply. Carter glanced around her, worry creasing her brow.

"Did you harm them?"

The hooded figure laughed. "I just saved your life, Major Carter. And you think I would harm the rest of SG-1?"

Carter gave him a wary glance. "Sir? Do you copy?"

Static came back, but so did the out of breath voice of the Colonel. "I copy. We have a bit of a situation here, Carter. You okay?"

"I'm fine. What kind of situation?"

"I am close by, Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c replied. "I am, indeed in the same situation."

"On my way, Sir." Carter took one glance at the figure, motioned with her gun for him to start walking, and then jogged after him towards the rest of her team.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all of the feedback! It gives me reason to keep writing! It was awesome to come home from work last night to it! After this chapter, it might be a few days before I can post anymore...

**Chapter 2**

As Carter ran to assist her teammates, she heard the P-90 fire before she saw it. She pulled up short, flicked off the safety of the P-90, aimed, and fired at the heads of the bodies that came into view. Six, seven, eight, and still more came. They surrounded Daniel and Teal'c. Jack was off to the side some sixty yards away where he had more room. The hooded figure immediately went to work on attackers using his knife. None of the things seemed to bother him or Carter. She moved closer to help Daniel and Teal'c. "Sir, their heads! Aim for their heads!" She yelled between bursts of gunfire.

Carter counted at least a hundred, maybe two hundred of these bodies that looked in every right as if they should not be on their feet. They were like zombies, but not the same kind that Earth movies portrayed. They weren't quite like those actors in make-up from _Night of the Living Dead_ either, but that was the first image that popped into Carter's mind.

Jack had circled around to meet up with Carter; they were now back to back, firing at any undead, but dead looking thing that came near them. They finally seemed to be gaining some advantage; picking off these things with rapid-fire shots to the head took them out a lot quicker than trying to take out an army of Jaffa, mainly because they were slower moving and didn't possess any weapons.

With Carter and Jack's help, Daniel and Teal'c were able to create an opening for themselves and had moved towards the others. Daniel didn't hide his disgust when he saw and then smelled Carter.

"Don't ask," Carter said, taking out three more of the things.

"I like it," Jack said, eliciting a small smile from Carter, despite their circumstances. "You should wear it on your next date."

Their attackers now numbered less than a dozen, seeming to have become disinterested in the group. They passed by SG-1 as if they no longer could see them. SG-1 sighed in relief.

The hooded figure came up to them, taking the last in the herd out with a sickening squishy sound.

"Who's your friend, Carter?" Jack asked, nodding towards the hooded figure.

"Not a friend, Sir." Carter looked over at the hooded figure, then at her team. "It's...Ba'al."

Daniel leaned in. "I'm sorry, but I thought you just said that was Ba'al."

Teal'c raised a brow. "This is most unusual."

Although uncomfortable with defending Ba'al to her teammates, she stated, "I know. But he did, well...kind of save my life back there. And he appears to know how to stop these things." She shrugged.

"I don't like it," was all that Jack said. As Ba'al came towards them now, having cleared out the area, Jack asked in a mock-friendly tone, "so how ya doin''?"

Ba'al ignored him and pushed back his hood. "I suggest you refrain from further use of your weapons. The noise draws them out. I assume you have quieter weapons with you?"

Teal'c inclined his head.

Weary of both Ba'al's presence and of the land around him, Jack got straight to the point. "What are you doing here? Where are your groupies?"

"I believe it would be wise to head back to the Stargate, O'Neill, and continue the discussion there." Teal'c stated. Despite Ba'al's suggestion, Teal'c had not lowered his weapon.

"I agree with Teal'c. Let me go through with you and I'll explain everything."

"Sure!" Jack exclaimed, sarcastically. "How about you just tell us what's going on and we'll think about it?"

Daniel spoke up next. "Why do you need our help? Why not just leave the way you came?"

Ba'al held up his hands in a surrender move. "My surveillance here showed that the people of this planet were one of the least advanced we had come across. Although not very intelligent, even by Earth standards, they proved to be loyal and strong bodied."

"And this mattered to you, why?" Daniel drew out the last word.

Ignoring him, Ba'al continued. "After much preparation, we traveled here, only to be met by this new group that we had not seen before. They attacked us, and those of us who did not perish, took the ship and left without me."

The smug look on Teal'c's face at this last part was priceless. "You say they left without you, their leader?"

"My men have become weak and many have betrayed me, believing in the Tau'ri's quest for freedom from the Gods."

"False Gods." Teal corrected.

"Yes, well I know how you feel, Teal'c."

Trying to speed things up, Jack asked. "So, what happened then? Are they like vampires and if you get bitten you turn into one of them?"

"I do not know what these vampires are, but no. You die."

"Good to know." Daniel chimed in. "So, basically, you thought that you could take a weak people and train them to be loyal to serve you?"

"Yes." Ba'al answered.

"Well, how noble of you." Jack said.

"I think the question is, is whatever we're dealing with now a new group of people or the same ones Ba'al was watching?" Daniel said.

They all turned heads to Ba'al.

Ba'al looked at them with without amusement. Jack said, "You're the expert on this planet. What do you think?"

"I think we should head back through your Stargate before we have to deal with more."

"Sir, I hate to say this, but he's right. We're not prepared for this. We don't have enough ammo if there are many more of them out there, and five of us can't kill an army without one of us getting hurt. What would be the point?" Carter reasoned. Again, she grimaced at the fact that she had just agreed with Ba'al.

Jack sighed. He knew they were right. He just didn't want to admit that the right thing to do in this case would be to bring Ba'al through the Stargate with them. The thought had crossed his mind to just shoot him where he stood and be rid of one more threat against Earth. "Okay, folks. Let's head back. We'll reassess the situation from the safety of the SGC."

The sun had dipped lower in the sky, but there were still plenty of daylight hours left to allow them to walk back to the Stargate. As they made their return trip, they walked in silence, each alert for any danger. Even Ba'al seemed to be wary and was silent, walking several paces away with Teal'c keeping his guard on him, should he try anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here's chapter 3! I spent some time trying to get through the writers block. I had the images in my head, but I had a hard time describing and getting it out on paper! Please review!

**Chapter 3**

They had walked for over an hour. The trees weren't far away now, which meant that once they'd entered the woods, they were on their last stretch before reaching the Stargate. The sun had dipped even further, creating harsh shadows out of SG-1.

Every few moments, Jack lifted his binoculars and scoped the area. He'd be damned if anything would sneak up on them. If he spotted anything alien in enough time, they could outrun whatever it was. He worried about entering the trees and he could tell by the worried looks on his team that they felt the same way. Traveling with Ba'al didn't make things any easier.

Ba'al was their common enemy. Though he didn't have the army or the power that other system lords such as Apophis or Anubis had, he was definitely a threat to Earth in many ways. But unlike Apophis or Anubis, SG-1 and Ba'al often fell on the same side of the fence. Though Ba'al's motives obviously differed, he no doubt faced threats from many of the same enemies that threatened Earth. They'd had many opportunities to take each other out, but always hesitated. Though Jack was sure Teal'c would be happy to end this chase, he wasn't so sure why the rest of them were more likely to give Ba'al another free ride. They hadn't been this easy-going with the other System Lords. So why Ba'al?

Jack shook his head as if shaking those thoughts from his mind. If Ba'al so much as glanced wrong at one of his teammates, he'd stick a bullet through his head so fast that...well...Ba'al would be dead before he could do anything to them. He wouldn't hesitate this time.

They'd been walking in silence because none of them wanted to alert anything near by to their presence. When Daniel sneezed once, they all shushed him as if he could help himself. Time dragged on, and the silence was getting to them. Daniel decided to risk it and asked Ba'al how he managed to survive when his army of Jaffa had been killed.

Ba'al's laugh was more snide than amused. "Every time I find myself face to face with a member of SG-1, I am reminded of how little intelligence the Tau'ri possess." He paused for effect, "excluding Major Carter of course."

"You know, we could kill him and no one would ever know." Jack said.

"I would be honored to accommodate that request, O'Neill." Teal'c said, bowing his head slightly.

Flustered, Daniel exclaimed, but not too loudly. "Guys-guys! It's a valid question."

Jack raised a hand as if to say, _go on then._

"It's simple. If you noticed, they aren't very bright. They are attracted to the senses, tend to travel in groups; they're hungry I think. But otherwise, they walk around as if they have no agenda, no specific place to go. If you remove yourself from the senses, you can become invisible to them."

"If you smell like them, you don't smell like yourself, and they won't know you're any different from them."

"Good observation, Daniel Jackson. I am impressed. Don't use your weapons, your light sources, don't make any quick movements, don't go near them," Ba'al continued, looking pointedly at Carter with his last remark.

Carter and Jack shared a look and she shrugged. "So, Ba'al and I are the safest. So how do we get one of these things by themselves-"

"Carter, don't say it!" Jack hissed, looking as if he would turn green at the mere thought of bathing in the bloodied remains of these zombie-like people.

"We have not seen anything else for over an hour, Major Carter. Perhaps we will make it through the Stargate without incidence." Teal said.

"I'm with T." Jack said. "But, just in case...let's make ourselves as invisible as we can-" he held up a finger to Carter as if warning her not to say a word, "without getting ourselves dirty. So, as much as it pains me to admit it, let's take Ba'al's advice." Jack grimaced.

The sun was still bright, but seemed to be racing to meet with the horizon. With the trees looming ever closer, the sun behind them, and the shadows growing longer, SG-1 and Ba'al found themselves hesitating to continue.

As commander of SG-1, Jack stated his orders. "We stay together, single file, and watch each other's backs. Ba'al first, then myself, Daniel, Carter, Teal'c. Maybe the stench from these two will be enough." He pointed to Ba'al and Carter. "We'll use our knives if he can, but do whatever is necessary."

They hurried as quickly and as silently as they could into the canopy of trees. Thankful now for the silence from birds or animals, Jack's dislike of trees grew ten-fold.

Jack didn't really dislike trees. They were beautiful when everything was at peace. He loved the trees that surrounded his cabin and pond. He just grew tired of the same landscape when they hopped from planet to planet. It was hard enough to remember the letters and numbers the dialing system assigned to each planet, but having such similar landscapes, Jack had a hard time remembering which was which.

He often played dumb when it came to Daniel's archeology-babble or Carterspeak. He understood more than he let on; though it wasn't hard to feign ignorance when he listened to Daniel go on excitedly for what seemed like hours. The blank look on Jack's face often stood for boredom, but could easily pass for _I don't understand_. Carter's techno-babble was usually lost on Jack because, while he understood more than she thought he did, he tended to find himself lost in thought listening to the sound of her voice.

They had reached the trees, the last leg of their journey. Less sunlight filtered through the trees, leaving shadows and doubts as to what lay within. They hoped that they were just as hidden from the zombie people as the zombie people were from them.

They'd been traveling for about fifteen minutes when they heard rustle in the overgrowth some distance away. Instinctively SG-1 and Ba'al all stopped, ears and eyes straining towards the sound. None of them dared to breathe in case they missed something. After a moment, the sound had not returned. As soon as they started walking again, a twig snapped, and then from a different location opposite the team, they heard a low guttural sound.

Accustomed to entering unforeseen territories, being captured by an array of peoples, escaping death by the skin of their teeth, they were never the less, a bit scared. Their hearts were pounding, their breaths coming in quick, short spurts. Though SG-1 appeared fearless and unstoppable, they were only human.

Half the team turned towards the guttural sound and the rest turned towards the snapped twig. They crept forward.

Daniel whispered, "how far to the 'Gate?"

"Farther than I'd like." Jack replied.

"It can't be very far. Teal'c's the fastest. He could dial the DHD and be the 'Gate would be ready by the time the rest of us catch up. We can out run those things."

Jack considered this for a moment. Usually a good decision maker, having gotten his team out of many close calls, he found himself hesitating to make any decision. His stomach muscles felt tight.

"It can't be much more than a mile, Sir." Carter whispered. "I don't think those people can run that fast."

Jack let out a breath. He was their commanding officer. He had to step up to the plate. It was his responsibility to make sure he got his team back through the Stargate alive. He carefully weighed their options: He agreed with Daniel and Carter. Those things didn't have weapons of their own and wouldn't know where SG-1 was headed. Running a mile wasn't far and would put distance behind them quickly. They weren't that much slower than Teal'c, but he would be more sure-footed running through the woods in the relative darkness. If they continued at their current pace, the sun would set and leave them in total darkness. He didn't know if those people, as Carter still referred to them, could see in the dark, but Jack knew SG-1 would be at a disadvantage there. He wished they had their night-vision goggles, but they hadn't seemed necessary from their preliminary check of the planet.

"Okay. Teal'c, head towards the DHD, dial us home, and we'll be right behind you."

Teal'c merely bowed his head, turned, and took off. The rest of the team, including Ba'al who was unusually silent, followed suit.

They'd been running for about ten minutes when they heard the noises. Those guttural sounds, twigs snapping, leaves crunching, all sorts of movement. It was only a moment later that they pulled up short next to Teal'c who stood still. In the dim light that remained from the setting sun, they could make out forms of people. _Too many of them_. Jack thought.

It was hard to tell, but Jack estimated at least a hundred. The Stargate was a few hundred yards away yet, but these things were blocking their path. And they had noticed SG-1's arrival.

"Oh crap." Jack said.

"Oh crap, indeed." Teal'c replied.


	4. Chapter 4

I came home from work on the 21st to find out a friend lost her battle with cancer the day before her birthday. She was a sweet, wonderful, intelligent woman, and we had shared many great conversations, usually about the books we'd read.

I wish I could write more, more quickly. I need one of those armbands from Anise. Do you think she still has the one Daniel wore and that I could borrow it!? Oh, think of the stories I could get out then! :)

Thanks for all the reviews! I love it!

**Chapter 4**

"Why are they coming our way? I thought the goop you and Carter had on you would keep them away." Jack retorted, eyeing the wall of people blocking their way to the 'Gate.

"I don't think that's a foolproof theory, Sir." Carter replied, knife out and ready to use it.

Fortunately, for the team, they were faster than their enemies. They turned and ran at an angle through the dark trees, hoping they wouldn't knock themselves out or twist an ankle, which had been known to happen to one SG member or another over the years. They hoped to put some distance between themselves and the other...whatever they were, while attempting to go around them and hope they could put themselves between these creatures and the Stargate.

They ran for about twenty minutes before Jack halted them. They had each quickly realized this plan was in vain, but hadn't wanted to admit it. Though the creatures weren't that fast, they were fast enough to draw SG-1 some distance away from the Stargate.

Ba'al bent down, hands on his knees, breathing rapidly. Even in serious situations, Jack could usually muster a wisecrack or two, but he stayed silent this time.

"What now, Jack?" Daniel asked, peering into the trees, straining to see in the darkness if any darker form moved. The little light that had been left had seeped into a deep darkness. They could hear the sounds of the creatures, the brush being trampled, twigs snapping, the air moving, but they couldn't yet _see_ them.

Teal'c turned to Ba'al. "How have you managed to remain alive?"

Ba'al took a moment before responding. The others weren't sure if he was wary of giving away any hiding spot he'd found, or if he had other plans. None of them gave Ba'al an ounce of trust, even if they were on the same side at the moment. Finally, Ba'al sighed and announced, "there's a small group of buildings that sit on a ledge on the far side of those hills you saw in the distance. They couldn't climb up there. It'll take a while to get to."

They were tired and hungry. Jack rubbed at his face. "Let's move on to plan B. We'll get some sleep and we'll be able to better scout out the area during the day. In the meantime, we can lead them as far as we can from the Stargate and hope they don't turn back this way."

They all nodded, though no one could see, though no one was happy about their new plan.

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay, Jack."

They half ran, half walked for what seemed like days, though it was only minutes. Jack knew the hills that had been off to their right had to be several hours away.

It was going to be a long night.

Several hours had gone by. Bone wary, they had jogged as much as they could, but Ba'al had slowed them down. Jack couldn't believe their luck running into Ba'al, of all places in the universe. He sighed silently.

They had run out of trees quickly, to their relief, and a moon shined down through a cloud sodden sky. There wasn't much light, but it was more than they'd had when they had been within the thicket of trees. They seemed to have put a decent amount of distance between themselves and those dead looking people. Every once in a while, there would be one or two walking aimlessly not far off. At first, SG-1 was on high alert, but Ba'al hushed them and advised to keep walking, albeit slowly.

So, they had slowed to a comfortable walk and ignored the others. Nothing bothered them, not even the wind. They were too far away to be noticed, it seemed.

After another hour, Sam whispered and pointed. "Look, you can see the jagged peak of the hills over there. What do you think? Two, three miles?"

"At least." Daniel said, without much excitement. It seemed like a very long trip yet, being tired, hungry, cold, and surrounded by a foreign landscape.

As time carried on, so did SG-1 and Ba'al.

"Are we there yet?" Jack almost seemed to whine. No one answered because the answer was obvious.

A few more minutes went by, then Ba'al stopped them and took a moment for himself, his hand fingering his jaw, his other hand holding his elbow. "That way," he pointed and pivoted slightly.

After a few more minutes, he pulled aside a tall clump of grass-looking strands. The trip up wouldn't be easy, nor the most difficult task SG-1 had ever undertaken, but no one looked happy.

Up they climbed, using rocks and small trees that were only an inch or two in diameter, as leverage and handholds. Periodically, the ground gave way under their feet, sending them sliding down a few inches. Loose pebbles skittered down the slope silently. Ba'al reached the top first, followed by Teal'c with Jack pulling up the rear.

Though still night, the landscape seemed to be slightly brighter here, as if a few hundred feet of height made all the difference for the moon.

Nestled back against a segment of hill stood several small buildings, much like the ones they had seen during the day, though these buildings stood obviously abandoned and in disrepair.

It was no wonder these buildings hadn't been visible to the team during the day, hiding in plain sight, yet out of sight.

Ba'al led the way towards one of the buildings. He opened a wooden door and held out his hand, as if welcoming his friends into his home.

When Jack entered, he saw several bowls sat on a wooden table, along with what he believed was a primitive oil lamp. In a corner, on a table, stood rations of food and a bowl of water.

Jack walked back outside and motioned towards Teal'c. "You and Carter do a perimeter check of the area. Report back with any findings."

"Yes, Sir." Carter replied and followed Teal'c off into the night.

Jack and Daniel turned to Ba'al. Jack motioned for the others to enter the building and each sat in a makeshift chair. "How long have you been here?"

Ba'al raised his shoulders and then left them slump again. "A few weeks."

Daniel looked at Ba'al incredulously. "Weeks? I don't believe it."

Ba'al looked at Daniel. "What's not to believe? My own people have become weak and abandoned me. Ran away in fear like cowards. It wasn't until three days ago, I discovered how to blend in with them, so naturally, I hadn't been able to locate the Chappa'ai. If it weren't for me, you could be dead as well."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Jack said. "What did you do for food and water?"

"I made do."

Jack just nodded. Daniel looked around. Carter and Teal'c returned. "The perimeter is secure. I will take first watch, O'Neill."

Jack nodded again. "Let's get some sleep, folks."

Teal'c stood tall and still outside the building where the rest of his team slept. Ba'al, not wanting to sleep in the building with SG-1, found a spot a few yards away and sat down, leaning against a rock. He pulled out a protein bar SG-1 had given him from their rations and chewed. He didn't try to talk to Teal'c and Teal'c did not talk to Ba'al, though he did give a sidelong glance at the Goa'uld from time to time.

Jack came out of the building, after having slept fitfully for about four hours. Everything was quiet. The moon still shined down through the clouds, creating an eerie glow across the landscape below their ledge. It wasn't much light, but enough to provide shadows from some of the scrub brush. There were a few stragglers walking around, mostly by themselves, but a couple small groups of two or three. From this distance they didn't look very dangerous. At least they didn't appear to be hunting his team.

"Go get some sleep Teal'c. I'll take over." Jack said, not looking away from where his eyes had focused on a long shadow that crept slowly towards another.

Teal'c merely bowed his head in reply and stepped in through the door.

Daylight had just broken over the horizon. Jack stood and stretched, bones cracking here and there. He ran a hand through his grey hair and looked around. Though the light had barely broken over the horizon, it was light enough to see that there were more of the creatures walking around below than Jack had estimated during his watch in the dark.

Ba'al also got up from where he'd sat against the rock all night. He put a hand on Jack's shoulder for a second before removing it, as if they had been life-long pals. "What's plan B?"

Jack looked at Ba'al. Jack ignored him. Instead, he turned towards the building when Carter came out, followed by Daniel and Teal'c. "Good morning, kids! Ready to go home?" 

Carter had changed into her spare BDUs to sleep. She didn't want to think about carrying around the soiled pair. She had peeled the soiled clothes off her as if they had been dipped in hydro-caloric acid. She'd wiped her skin clean as much as she could with their stash of moist wipes. Now that she'd gotten herself a few hours of sleep, she felt better, but she still felt as if the residue of the remains of that person Ba'al had killed yesterday were still clinging to her skin.

She looked over at Ba'al who stood some yards away from her team. He hadn't taken off the hooded coat. He was chewing on one of their protein bars. How he could eat like that...she shuddered. Her stomach did a somersault at the thought of eating and she'd changed her clothes and washed herself as well as she could.

Daniel had started making coffee as was the usual routine in the mornings when they were off-world for more than a day. He'd lit the butane canister and heated water from his water canteen, added the instant grounds and waited for it to steam. He offered everyone a cup, then took his own and sat down next to the building they'd slept in, knees drawn up, cup resting on his knees.

Jack had started looking around. He had his binoculars out and was scanning the area below them. Nothing much had changed since the night before. There didn't seem to be more or less of them down there, since he'd last checked, and they seemed more harmless in the light of day.

Carter had gone over and knelt beside the Colonel. "Sir, it was dark last night, but Teal'c and I think there might be another way to the Stargate if we continue from one of these ledges. It may take a little longer, but we'd have to worry less about them," she pointed below.

"I don't want to risk it, Carter. The ground is too soft. You see how there's hardly any trees or brush along there? It must have rained recently and washed a lot of it down the hills. If one of us falls or gets hurt, we'll have a hell of a time getting help."

Carter only nodded. "Yes, Sir. We're ready to go when you are." Carter stood.

Jack resumed his inspection with the binoculars and merely nodded.

Carter started to walk away, but suddenly stopped and turned, "Colonel?"

"Yes, Carter?"

"What do you think happened to all the people that died?"

He turned his head to look up at her. "What do you mean?"

Carter slightly raised her hands palm up in front of her. "I mean, where are all the bodies? Ba'al said yesterday that if they get you, you're dead."

"That's usually what happens, Carter."

"Right. I know that, Sir, but where are all the bodies? There was no one in any of those houses we searched yesterday, and we haven't come across any new ones. Ba'al brought his men here and said the ones who survived fled. Where's the rest of the Jaffa?"

Jack pondered this for a moment. Then he pointed to the land below. "They're walking around down there?"

"None of them look like the Jaffa." Carter pointed out.

"Where are they then?" Jack asked, not sure what Carter was getting at.

"I don't know, Sir, but it's odd, don't you think?"

Jack got up on his knees and wiped his hands on his pants. "We deal with a lot of odd, Carter. This is just another one of those...odd...ities..." he finished, having no idea if what he said even made any sense. He got to his feet.

"Let's go home, Carter."

"Yes, Sir." She followed him back towards Daniel, Teal'c, and Ba'al.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all for the reviews! It makes my day, and more importantly, makes me want to write!

**Chapter 5**

After eating breakfast, the team packed their gear and waited for an opportune time to climb back down the hill. Once they reached the bottom, they remained close to the hill for as long as they could and tried not to bring any attention to themselves.

As luck would have it, they remained in the clear for longer than they'd thought, but their luck had to come to an end eventually. One of the stragglers had come too close. It seemed to be only half-aware of the five humans, didn't try to hurt them, but was too close for any of their liking. Before Jack could make a decision and voice it, Ba'al had seen to bringing the zombie thing to an end by thrusting one of his knives into the back of its skull, not only once, but three times. It fell to the ground with a thud and as the knife was pulled out of the skull by the force of gravity, it made a sickening, wet sound.

Jack was furious. He walked over to Ba'al in three quick strides and grabbed him by his clothes, forgetting that Ba'al still had long dried blood and other fluids covering him. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" He tried to keep his voice down, but failed.

Though Ba'al still held the knife, he didn't try to use it on Jack. Ba'al appeared unfazed by Jack's confrontation, but he did try to brush Jack's hands from his clothes and step back; Jack only squeezed his fists around the fabric harder and tugged, bringing Ba'al closer.

"I took care of it."

"You are not in charge here. You don't get to make the decisions when they affect the lives of myself and my team. I don't even know why we are even letting you in our presence, let alone alive."

Daniel stepped forward and put a hand on Jack's forearm. "Ja...ck." He said slowly.

"Not now, Daniel."

"I did not realize you kept SG-1 in such tight control, _Jack._" Ba'al mocked.

Not realizing what he was about to do, Jack pulled back and let a fist fly into Ba'al's face, knocking the Goa'uld to the ground.

Carter tried not to hide her own satisfaction at seeing Ba'al flat on his back. His nose and his lip started to bleed. She had wondered how long it would take before Jack's patience had run out.

Teal'c didn't intervene, but merely raised an eyebrow in response.

Daniel tried to calm Jack down, but wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to make Jack any angrier, especially not at _him._

"Uh, Jack..." Daniel began.

Jack turned to Daniel. "What, Daniel?" he said, his impatience and anger now pointed at Daniel.

"Jack. Look, I'm not saying he didn't deserve that, but we can't draw any more attention to ourselves. We just got some of their attention. "

Jack looked, for a moment, like he wanted to strangle Daniel, but then his features relaxed and that emotionless mask he often wore took place. He glanced down at Ba'al who had yet to get back up and walked past him.

Teal'c followed Jack silently. Daniel and Carter exchanged a look, then Daniel shrugged. Jack will be Jack, after all.

Carter looked back after walking a few feet past Ba'al and said, "you coming?"

Ba'al sighed and got to his feet. "I have no idea why I am going along with this." He trailed after SG-1.

"Because, like it or not, you need us. We could shoot you just as easily as leave you here. It would be one less worry for Earth. I don't know why we don't do just that, but it's not my call." She looked squarely at Ba'al. "It's his." She pointed towards her CO. "So, I wouldn't try anything stupid."

Ba'al was silent for a few seconds before mumbling, "stupid. Right."

Though he'd said it under his breath, she'd heard him. She could only imagine what General Hammond was going to say when they got back. She could see the look on his face right now. She could hardly wait for the debriefing on this one.

Jack was in a bad mood. He wasn't completely sure why, but it had to be because of Ba'al. He didn't think it was only because Ba'al was currently with them. It was something else nagging at him. He didn't want to be in a bad mood. He was responsible for SG-1 and needed to focus on getting them back through the 'Gate alive. It did him no good to be irritable now. He could take out his anger and frustrations at the gym after they got back home. Hell, he could probably even convince Hammond to let him and Ba'al have a go at it in the gym and then kick his ass till he felt better.

Carter's voice broke through his thoughts. He hadn't heard her approach him. "Sir, we have more following us. They're following us closer than before. If we don't do something, they'll be too many for us." She said this quietly but with conviction.

She was doing what Carter did best. Telling Jack, her CO, that he needed to get over whatever little temper tantrum was going on in his head and that he needed to order them to do something to divert further unwanted circumstances.

Jack stopped. "You're right, Carter," he admitted. He looked around. The land was flat except for the hill sloping up next to them. They were still quite a distance from the trees and the Stargate, since they were walking today in order to blend in better, though right now that didn't seem to be working too well. He might have blown it earlier when he had shouted at Ba'al.

_Damn. Some Commanding Officer you are, Colonel O'Neill, _he thought with a grimace.

"What's wrong, Sir?" Carter asked, watching his features change.

"I don't know, Carter. What do you think we should do?" He asked her pointedly.

She raised her eyes in surprise. "Me, Sir?"

He shrugged, meaning: yeah, you.

"Well...you're not going to like it, Sir."

"I don't like any of this, Carter," he replied.

She nodded in agreement. She took a deep breath and released it. "I think Ba'al had the right idea, Sir. I mean, he did survive weeks here on his own, if what he told us is true."

"You're saying we-"

"Yeah."

Jack grimaced again. "Ah, Carter."

She smiled faintly. "Sorry, Sir, but you asked."

He patted her shoulder as he stepped past her. He motioned to the others who had stopped a short distance away to gather around.

"Okay. I admit I was being an ass. So, let's get past that and just do what we, ah, need to do."

"Which is what, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Let's take care of these S.O.B.s here and then do what Carter suggested, which is to..."

He couldn't even say it. He moved his hand in a circular motion for Carter to continue.

"Thanks, Sir." she replied. "I think right now our best option is to take out these things following us and to...smell more like them."

"Wonderful." Daniel said.

"Even though I wish to remain smelling like myself, I believe that would be a wise decision, Major Carter." Teal'c bowed his head.

"Thanks, Teal'c."

Ba'al just stood there and looked smug.

It was actually easier to get rid of a couple dead-like-zombie people with short-bladed knives to the head, than it was to kill an army of Jaffa with fully automatic weapons from behind protective walls.

It was quieter, for sure, but extremely messy. Once they'd taken care of a handful that was closest to them, they regrouped.

Teal'c wordlessly went over to a corpse and jammed the blade of his knife into the chest cavity several times. It made a squishy sound. Dark red liquid began to spill out over the chest and soak into the tattered clothes before reaching the ground. Teal'c put his knife into the slot on his pants and reached into the chest with his bare hands. He began to spread what he came up with onto the front of his shirt and vest and repeated the process.

Ba'al followed suit.

Carter looked at Jack and Daniel, neither whom appeared in any hurry. Carter stepped forward and followed Teal'c and Ba'als' movements. She grimaced as the smell of blood and decay filled her nostrils. She thought she might vomit. She tried to hold her breath, but when she sucked air back into her lungs, the smell and the coppery taste of blood was all the more potent. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head as she sunk her hands back into the chest cavity and wiped the remains on her pants.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Jack muttered as he did the same thing. The smell was worse than anything he could imagine. Oh, he had smelled death before. Seen death, been close to death himself times too numerous to count. But, this smell was different from the smells of teammates or loved ones lost. This was the smell of death that had died long ago but was still holding on by some strange force.

Now that the five of them were covered in the smell of death, they stood and looked at one another, stuck in this bizarre situation that they would rather soon forget. The reality of it was, they would remember this mission as they remembered all their missions. They would have to talk about it, write about it, and file it away in their minds in case they needed to remember some important part that would help them out of a later jam.

They walked on at a faster pace than before, testing the waters, so to speak. At one point, Teal'c veered off and purposely approached one of the zombie people and looked at it head on. It seemed to meet his eyes, though its eyes were unseeing. After a moment, it seemed uninterested in Teal'c and continued past him.

Teal'c stood still and let a few others try to sniff him out, but they all ignored him. He turned and walked back to the team.

Daniel was fascinated. His face was lit up like he was looking at a bundle of presents under the Christmas tree. "Did you see that? That's incredible!"

"I'd say it was stupid...and luck." Jack said.

"Don't you see, Jack?" Daniel continued, ignoring the pessimistic comment. "They think Teal'c is one of them. They think we're one of them, only because of how we smell to them. How many species have we come across that wouldn't kill their own kind-"

"Daniel, for cryin' out loud. These aren't people. They're the result of some sort of disease or-or...anyway, I wouldn't lay a finger on Teal'c if I was them. I'd call that smart."

Daniel shook his head. "Whatever, Jack." He turned to Sam and started babbling about historic findings of cannibalism, about some of the planets they'd visited where the inhabitants co-existed in such harmony that there was no crime, no murder, no ill feelings toward one another.

Carter listened for a few minutes, having more patience than Jack had, when it came to Daniel's rants. "Daniel, I don't think these things are the original inhabitants here. Or-they are, but they've been changed."

"Do you think Niirti could have anything to do with this?" Jack asked, holding out his arm and sweeping it from left to right, indicating the space around them and what must walk among them.

"Another failed attempt at creating a hok'tar?" Carter asked. "God, I hope not."

"I do not believe so, O'Neill." Teal'c responded. "I believe Niirti to be gone for good after she was killed on P3x-367."

Jack nodded. "Right. Just checking."

"Can we go?" Ba'al asked. "I thought you wanted to get home?"


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks again to everyone who responded to the last chapters! I love hearing what everybody thinks!

**Chapter 6**

The sun was high in the sky and its intense heat was beating down on the team with vigor. This heat only intensified the smell that covered them. They were all having a hard time coping with their current situation. In some ways, they thought, they'd been in much worse situations, but they were finding themselves wishing they could be in _any_ _one_ of those other situations than the one they were currently in.

Anything seemed better than _this_.

They were all silent, trying to breathe as normal as possible. Breathing through their noses carried in the awful stench, but talking or breathing with their mouths carried in the _taste._

Carter had to deal with this the day before, but today it seemed so much worse. At one point during their hike to the 'Gate, she'd gagged on the smell, stomach acid and what little was left in her stomach started to make its way up her esophagus, but she choked it down, even as it burned her throat.

She blinked back tears that stung her eyes before the others could see them. She was Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force and Second in Command of SG-1 for the most top-secret program in the United States for cryin' out loud. She'd flown and downed planes during the Gulf War, helped create the SGC's dialing system, shot down enemy rebels both on Earth _and _all over the galaxy, helped to save the entire planet from Goa'uld invasion, flown alien space craft, been experimented on, had a snake in her head, had been downloaded into a computer, electrocuted...and the list went on and on.

Suddenly, she found herself laughing. She'd been through all of that without shedding a tear and now she was crying because she _smelled_ bad?

She realized that her team had turned to look at her.

"You okay, Carter?"

"Fine, Sir," she said while opening her mouth as little as possible. She tried to hold back another chuckle.

"I am finding it difficult to see the amusement in this situation, Major Carter." Teal'c protested.

"Me, too." Daniel added.

Carter bit on her lower lip, not sure how to respond. Tell them she was laughing at herself so she wouldn't cry? No, that wasn't very Majorly of her. Tell them she was thinking of a funny joke and not sharing? No, not that either. She couldn't think of a good joke right now.

"Come on, Carter. Share with the class!" Jack asked.

"Um, well. I guess I was just complaining in my head, Sir. And when I thought about all the other stuff we've been through, I realized how absurd it is that I feel like this is the worst possible situation to be in. It's stupid."

"This _is_ the worst possible situation to be in, Carter. I'm seriously considering putting in a recommendation for the scientists who engineer the M.A.L.P. to add some doohickey that tells us if the undead are among the inhabitants of a planet. I don't think I'll ever get this smell off me. I might have to reconsider reassignment so I don't have to also smell the rest of you every day."

"That hurts, Jack." Daniel feigned sadness.

While they were talking, Teal'c noticed some darker clouds in the distance. "I believe it is going

to rain, O'Neill."

Jack stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at the sky. Teal'c was right. There were some very dark clouds up there. The sky above them was still blue, but ahead of them, an ominous look pervaded the sky.

"Should we not find shelter, O'Neill?"

They all stopped for a moment, to consider their situation. They weren't far from those trees now, having increased their pace, but by the looks of those clouds, it would be a doozy of a storm. If they were caught in the rain, even the trees wouldn't be much cover. And if the rain washed them clean, they would no longer fit in as well with their friends.

Jack sighed. "Let's keep going and keep your eyes open for some sort of shelter. One of those buildings, a hole in the hillside..."

So, on they continued.

* * *

Stomachs grumbled, but none of them could even think about putting food or water into their bodies if it meant coming in close proximity to their current attire. They focused all their energy on either finding shelter from the rain that was quickly approaching their location, or somehow making a beeline for the gate, which appeared to be a fruitless idea.

The clouds were growing darker and descending lower, hiding most of the sun behind them. They jogged a little longer, ignoring most of the undead that crossed their path, leaving it to Ba'al to take out the ones in groups that showed interest.

"Did you hear that?" Teal'c spoke up suddenly.

"Hear what?" Daniel asked.

Teal'c put a hand up and they continued walking in silence. After a moment, a faint noise could be heard, but only Teal'c seemed to make out the words. "Someone is calling to us." He looked up at the hillside and pointed. "Up there."

They all craned their necks to see. They saw nothing but grass and small trees. The ledge that had housed them during the night had ended a while ago, leaving an even slope. A previous rain storm had washed a lot of the small rocks and loose grass down the hill, leaving it to lay at the bottom.

Suddenly a woman appeared, seemed to be waving to them, and calling to them. Once she knew that SG-1 had noticed her, she began to climb horizontally along the hillside.

"I believe she wants us to follow her." Teal'c replied.

Carter and Jack exchanged looks. Carter shrugged. "Maybe she's normal. It couldn't hurt to check it out."

"What about the Stargate?" Ba'al asked.

"No one's stopping you." Daniel said.

They all stood there, watching Ba'al, waiting to see if he would take the bait. He stared back for a moment before glancing towards the direction of the Stargate. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. "After you," he finally said.

They continued walking, searching for the woman. Teal'c had sight of her and they soon saw a spot in the hillside that was easily climbable. Dirt and rocks had been dug out of the earth to allow foot and handholds. The small trees were sturdier here, as was the ground cover. Single-file, they climbed up.

A woman met them near the top. She reached out for Jack's arm, who was first to reach her. She appeared happy to see them, yet was crying. "Oh thank Danh'ai, we didn't think there was anyone left!"

"Danh'ai?" Jack asked.

Daniel shrugged. "I'm guess he-or she-is their God, though I haven't heard of that one."

Jack just nodded. He returned his attention to the woman. "My name is Jack. And you are...?"

"I am Freya. Please, come with me." Freya turned and continued on a worn path that made it easier to navigate.

They followed.

They followed Freya up the hillside until it flattened out; something the team hadn't talked about checking out due to the high possibility of a rock slide that could hinder the group more than help.

When they reached the top, it was almost as if they'd gone through the Stargate. The flat top was several acres. Men and women were wielding wheelbarrows; children were carrying baskets filled with fruits and vegetables. There were stables with animals, women were weaving cloth, and some of the other children appeared to be playing a game on the ground. The buildings were made out of rough-hewn logs, carefully constructed, and well-maintained.

The team looked at each other for a moment, then back to the layout in front of them. Neither of them were sure what to make of this new scene that had unfolded before them. Where had they been when the M.A.L.P. had indicated little to no signs of life? Why were these people okay up on the hill when those on lower terrain were walking around dead? And, if Ba'al had been here for weeks, why hadn't they brought him here?

_All in good time_, Jack thought.

Jack walked forward, following Freya towards what appeared to be their 'town square,' though it wasn't much more than a thirty-by-thirty foot section that was centered around what appeared to be their version of shops and the carts that held fruits, vegetables, and other items. In the center of the 'square' set a large, round, wooden barrel. When Jack peered inside it, he found it filled with what he presumed was water.

Frey replied, "that is our rain bowl. When our people have been self-sacrificing, God Vishnu opens the sky and allows us drink from the stars. He is most generous this time."

Jack scratched his head. "This Vishnu guy, have you ever met 'em?"

Freya looked surprised. "Why no! I-I have yet to self-sacrifice. But others have met him. They'll tell you about it, I'm sure."

"Then how do you know he's real?"

"Ja-ack..." Daniel warned.

"I do not understand?" Freya asked, playing with the hem on her woven shirt.

"I mean, how do you know this Vishnu guy really exists?"

"Of course he exists. He brings us the rain, and the garden, and lets us live in harmony with one another atop the hill."

Daniel stepped forward and broke into the conversation. "You must be very lucky to have such a God watch over your people." Daniel gave Jack a warning glare not to push the God subject after just having met t his woman.

Jack shrugged. "So, does your village have someone who would be the authority around here?"

Freya nodded. "Yes, of course. His name is Danh'ai. I'll take you to him."


	7. Chapter 7

I'm sorry for the delay again! Work and class is kicking my butt already! I got some great reviews! Keep them comin', please! BTW, I have a great idea for another fic, more Sam and Jack centered, shippy of course, with a little AR that should spice some things up for our duo! I'll be thinking on that one while I finish this one!

**Chapter 7**

Freya led everyone into a one of the buildings that sat back behind the market. It was a large, open space with several tables and seating areas. Curtain-like cloths hung from the ceiling near the back of the building. The ceiling was only a few inches above Teal'c's head. The curtains hung so as to create individual rooms, but because they were sheer, it wasn't clear what their purpose was.

Large, brightly colored pillows lay all over the floor and several women and men were sitting on them in a meditative state. Candles were lit all around the room, their incense wafting towards SG-1 and filling their noses with the rich scents of sage and jasmine.

Only one person opened their eyes and looked at the visitors, but he didn't say a word. Freya scurried over to him and knelt down in front of him. She spoke quickly and softly, bowing her head several times throughout. "Danh'ai, these people came through the blue circle. I have brought them here to speak with you."

Danh'ai did not answer or move for some time. SG-1 didn't know what to do, so they waited for Freya to show them. Freya herself did not move from her kneeling position. Her head was bowed and she did not look at Danh'ai.

Several more minutes passed by. Jack was becoming more impatient. He rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet, hands in his pockets, playing with a piece of string that was still attached to the interior of his pocket.

Daniel was intrigued by what he was witnessing and could have stood there all day soaking in the visuals of the room, the scents, and the silence that was deafening, and the way that Freya bowed to Danh'ai spoke volumes to Daniel.

Just when Jack thought he wouldn't be able to take another moment of idleness, Danh'ai stood in one fluid motion and touched his palm to the top of Freya's head. Freya looked up, stood, and padded silently from the building, never once glancing at anything but the floor.

Danh'ai took several steps to SG-1, his hands clasped in front of him. The cloth robes he wore matched the pillows that were littered around the room. None of the people who were outside wore anything so intricate and colorful. "You are not from here," he stated simply.

When Danh'ai didn't say more, Daniel took the opportunity to step forward. "No, we're not. We came through the Stargate-your blue circle. We're from another planet called Earth."

"Earth?" Danh'ai said, letting the word roll around in his mouth. "Why have you come here?"

"We're explorers. We travel to other planets in search of friendship and technology," Daniel continued. "We thought this planet was uninhabited."

Danh'ai took a step forward, "then why come here if there was no possibility of friendship? Just for this technology you seek?"

"Well, we hope we can obtain both," Jack said.

"You wish to take our technology? Our way of life?" Danh'ai asked, displeased with this knowledge.

"No! Not at all," Daniel said hurriedly at the tone of Danh'ai's voice. "We would share of course. Provide you with knowledge and technology that would help you. Your village."

Danh'ai merely nodded. He walked over to a tall table that held a decanter of black liquid and poured some into a hollowed out orb. He took a drink and closed his eyes. When he'd drunk the contents, he opened his eyes and looked at SG-1. "Perhaps you should return to your Stargate."

Teal'c raised one brow. "That would be unwise to do so at this time, Danh'ai. Should we not address the problem of the inhabitants of your planet who live below you?"

"There is nothing to say on that matter." Danh'ai said, and then with a wave of his hand, he walked back to where he had been meditating earlier, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Apparently, their conversation was finished.

* * *

Rain had come down while SG-1 had been inside the building. When they stepped outside, most of the villagers appeared to have retreated in doors, but a few still remained, continuing their work despite the weather.

"Danh'ai is most certainly hiding something," Teal'c replied. "Would you agree, O'Neill?"

"I'd bet my life on it." Jack replied. "Since we're going to miss our check in with the SGC, we might as well get comfortable here and see if we'll get radio contact. So, first order of business: let's find Freya and get the hell out of these clothes." He then looked pointedly at Ba'al. "Looks like you're stuck with us for a while longer."

"You're cheerfulness, however false, is nauseating," Ba'al said. "I would rather take my chances."

SG-1 looked at each other, a form of silent communication transferring between the four. "Suit yourself," Jack said.

Jack, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c turned and headed towards the square, looking for Freya.

* * *

They found Freya helping the other women cover the fruit and vegetables that had been set out. The wind was picking up, making it difficult to tie the covers down. SG-1 began to help.

"We were hoping there was somewhere we could stay to wait out this rain. And maybe a change of clothes?" Jack asked while securing his corner of the cover.

Freya looked up. "Of course." She motioned for two of the younger boys to finish the task and led SG-1 to another building a few minutes walk from the square.

She opened a door and led them inside. This building was much smaller, but had sturdier partitions creating rooms. It was more plainly furnished, but was cozier than Danh'ai's building. There was a fire pit in the middle of one of the back rooms and an older woman was slowly stirring something in a pot over the ember coals.

"Dake emu sa kei yasuh me cukiede, ma'aim." Freya said to the older woman.

SG-1 only stared in puzzlement. Teal'c asked, "Do you understand the language, Daniel Jackson?"

"No." Daniel replied.

Jack looked at Daniel, surprised. "No?"

Daniel shrugged. There are thousands upon thousands of different languages and dialects within a language, Jack. And that's just speaking on Earth. So, don't look so surprised if I don't recognize a few words on a different planet."

"Oi," Jack said under his breath. "Someone needs some coffee."

"Whatever, Jack." Daniel shot back, obviously just as irritated.

"Daniel. _Sir_. " Carter said softly but sternly through her teeth.

Both men looked a little embarrassed. They both nodded and returned their attention to the two women who were conversing in an unknown language.

"I'll see if I can decipher what they're saying." Daniel said and stepped forward to listen more closely.

The older woman was still stirring the pot. "Kesh elsa mi lai tuto morga se."

"Nom, si nom." Freya replied.

"Uh, excuse me?" Daniel interrupted. "I, uh, don't mean to be rude, but-"

"My apologies, Daniel Jackson." Freya said, looking up at Daniel with sincerity in her eyes. "This is my mother, Nanani."

Daniel bowed in the same manner as Teal'c. "It is nice to meet you, Nanani. My friends and I think you for the hospitality."

Nanani said nothing, but smiled.

Freya said a few last words to her mother in that unrecognized language and returned her attention to SG-1. "My mother says your are welcome here as long as you like. It is not often we receive visitors through the blue circle who wish no harm to us."

"Glowing eyes?" Jack asked.

Daniel gave Jack a look that told him not to joke right now. Jack shrugged and took it upon himself to check out the building's nooks and crannies.

"I can provide you with some clothes until yours are washed and dry. I'll have them returned to you."

"Thank you," Carter replied.

Freya disappeared into one of the partitioned rooms. Jack rejoined the group when she returned and handed them each their robes. They took turns changing in semi-privacy. The cloth was heavy and thick, but softer than it looked. When they had finished, Freya asked for their clothes and she motioned them to sit. As Freya left the building, Nanani retrieved cups and poured them each a drink. Steam rose from the cups, a rich smoky scent. Nanani then placed a saucer of a brown powdery substance on the table, followed by a plate of spongy looking squares, not unlike sponge cake and another saucer with a green paste-like substance.

They all eyed each item Nanani put on the table. Daniel picked up his cup with the hot liquid, hoping it passed as coffee. He gingerly took a sip and immediately started coughing. When he'd recovered, he found everyone was watching him, including Nanani. "It's good," he mustered.

Nanani replied with a faint smile and nod, and turned away to retrieve something else for them.

Curious, but weary, Carter picked up her own cup and sniffed. It didn't smell terrible, she thought. Not wanting to end up in a coughing fit like Daniel, Carter took a very small sip; barely a sip. It was actually very sweet with a smoky flavor. She didn't know if this drink would have the same effect as coffee, but she figured it could pass as an exotic coffee beverage.

When she didn't start coughing, Daniel raised his brows. He decided to try again, hoping against embarrassment. He didn't start coughing this time, so he took a bigger sip and let the liquid swish around in his mouth before he swallowed.

"How is it, Danny-boy?" Jack asked after a moment.

"It's actually not bad, Jack." Daniel answered.

When neither Carter nor Daniel keeled over from the consumption, Teal'c took his turn with the cup in front of him. Unlike Carter and Daniel, after he tasted, he tilted his head back and drained the contents. "It is indeed very good."

Thinking he could out do them, Jack reached over the table, picked up a piece of the spongy squares, and dipped it into the green paste. Without hesitation, he plopped the whole square in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Not bad."

"What does it taste like, Sir?" Carter asked.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't have much flavor-" he paused suddenly, looking like he might be in pain. He picked up his drink and swallowed the contents as quickly as Teal'c had. "On second thought, I take that back. Wow." Jack grabbed another piece of the spongy square and ate it without the paste. He swallowed and gave a low whistle.

"Are you okay, O'Neill?"

"Fine, Teal'c. That's a little hot," he pointed to the paste.

Carter tried to hide a smirk unsuccessfully, so she took another sip from her cup.

Together they sampled the different foods that Nanani continued to set on the table. Some of it was quite good, some of it was downright awful. For now, this would do. In four hours, they were going to miss their check in with the SGC. They hoped that their radio signals would reach where they were, but they weren't so sure. Perhaps had the Stargate not be surrounded by woods, they would be fine, but the signal would be severely weakened. They only hoped that they could come up with a plan C before Hammond decided to send another SG team through the 'Gate and right into Zombie land.


	8. Chapter 8

I'm taking this special education class on students with disabilities. I seriously think I have ADD and was never diagnosed. It's shining some light on a few things! So, even though I want to write, it's taking me forever to do so! Anyway, I think we're closer to the end. This chapter might have been a little dull. I was trying to tie up a few loose ends and explain a couple things. I hope you enjoy it. Please review!

**Chapter 8**

After their feast and the rain was over, Freya took SG-1 for a walk around the village, showing them numerous contraptions and her way of life. By the looks of it, PX9-292 was living the equivalent of the early nineteenth century on Earth. So far, there wasn't anything that could be used to protect Earth from further threats. The people in the village seemed peaceful, but there was the question of the zombies below and the villagers' indifference.

As Freya took them to where food was harvested, Jack looked at his watch. "Ten minutes until we're late for check in."

They were in relative privacy while Freya talked to a young woman for a moment so that she could show SG-1 how they worked. "Perhaps I should go to the Stargate on my own and explain to General Hammond what is going on." Teal'c replied in a low voice.

"What _is_ going on here?" Daniel asked.

"I do not know, Daniel Jackson, but I am sure I will come up with something."

"As much as I don't like the thought of more SG teams coming through, I don't think it's a good idea to split up right now," Jack answered.

"I'll go with him, Sir." Carter volunteered.

Jack shook his head. "I'm getting that feeling that something's not right here and if we split up, we're going to be too out numbered."

"What could they possibly do to us?" Daniel asked.

"Do you really need examples?" Jack shot back.

"Well, yeah-"

Freya returned, stopping SG-1s' conversation in their tracks. She appeared none the wiser as she smiled and welcomed them over to the woman who was introduced as Mena. SG-1 allowed themselves to be taught how to turn grains into other edible foods, all the while waiting and crossing their fingers that if Hammond opened the gate to contact them for not checking in on time, they would receive the signal to respond. They were now late.

For now, their radios remained silent.

* * *

Dusk had returned and with it more rain. Freya offered them sleeping quarters. That evening, they sat around the fire pit and drank more of the warm drink they had been given earlier. The conversation was focused on Freya's two young boys who had been out working until it was time to return home for the evening. They were bright, outgoing boys and their smiles looked just like their mothers.

Eventually, the conversation turned to SG-1; Freya and her boys were very interested in those who traveled through the blue circle. "Do you get visitors through the Stargate often?" Daniel asked curiously. They were so welcoming. If the Goa'uld had come here, it had been long ago.

Freya shook her head. "You are the first in many generations, but we have heard many stories told of our ancestors who once traveled among the stars. The stories tell of many great adventures to other lands and people."

Daniel leaned closer to Freya who sat on the opposing side of the fire pit. "Why don't your people go through the Stargate anymore?"

"Once, our ancestors brought visitors back with them whom they had met on a distant star. Those visitors had befriended my ancestors, told them great lies. When they came here, they created war and many of my people perished."

Freya stopped, looked down at the floor, her voice sad. The room was silent.

"Lord Vishnu appeared and punished us all. The visitors perished in a ring of fire that lit up the sky for weeks. Ash rained down for months, blocking out the sun. Crops died. People died of starvation and thirst. My people have been paying for the misdeeds of our ancestors ever since."

"That would explain Danh'ai's aversion to us being here," Daniel commented. He looked at Freya, "why is everyone else so at ease and happy to see us here after what happened?"

Freya shrugged. "It has been before my lifetime since anyone has traveled through the blue circle."

"And you aren't worried that...we..." Jack said, pointing to his teammates, "might pose some sort of threat?"

Freya cocked her head to the side. "Do you wish us harm?"

"No." Jack answered pointedly. "We'd like to become allies."

"Allies?" she asked.

"Friends." Daniel supplied.

"Why do you not travel through the Stargate yourself?" Teal'c asked, meaning the people of her village.

"It is forbidden!" Freya said, eyes wide. "Once one travels through the blue circle, they may never return."

The faces on each SG-1 member changed for a moment at this bit of news. Though this wasn't the first time any revelation was made to not returning through the Stargate, they hadn't expected it to come from Freya.

"Perhaps your people do not know your planets address in which to return," replied Teal'c.

This time Freya's expression changed. "Lord Vishnu does not allow us to travel through the Star...gate," she uttered, using their term. "Only those who travel through to us are welcomed."

Daniel nodded his head. "I...see. But my friends and I," he indicated each of them, "must return home soon."

Freya's mouth opened slightly as if she were going to speak, but then she adverted her eyes, as did her sons, and she said nothing.

That's when the voice behind them spoke at the same time. "Traveling through the blue circle will not be possible right now. If you follow me, I will escort you to your quarters and my helper will assign you your duties." Danh'ai spoke deliberately. Then, with hands clasped behind his back, he bowed once, then turned his back and headed towards the exit, assuming SG-1 would be following his orders without question.

Each member of the team looked at each other. "Nice folks," Jack said. All but Daniel got slowly to their feet.

Daniel, perplexed, cocked his head to the side to look up at Jack. "We're not going to go along with this, are we, Jack?"

Jack shrugged. "For the moment."

Teal'c and Carter followed the Colonel out of the building to catch up with Danh'ai. Daniel took one last look at Freya, and with a sigh, he stood and followed behind Carter.

There still had been no radio contact.

* * *

Carter was given a room in one of the buildings near Freya, while the men were given separate quarters across the square. Separated for the moment, Carter sat on her makeshift cot and sighed.

What had started out as a simple reconnaissance mission had turned into one very strange mission. Something was definitely going on, Carter mused. These people appeared to be peaceful and honorable, offering clothing, meals, and opening their home to them, but something felt off.

It wasn't unusual for a planet's inhabitants to open their arms to SG-1 when they traveled through the gate. Carter could think of many examples. In fact, they had become allies with most of those people, not excluding those who had come to them first.

But there were those who appeared to be not what they were. They welcomed SG-1 only to turn against them. Carter felt that this could be one of those times. She would rather not end up in a prison cell again. Other thoughts of torture played through her mind, such as being thrown into a pit with those zombies and no way out. She shuddered.

There was also Danh'ai who emitted a peculiar air of authority. One moment he was telling them to leave and the next he was telling them they _couldn't._ And the women wouldn't look at him, as if the mere sight of him would cause them great pain. Carter thought she must be a sore spot in Danh'ai's side, when she didn't follow suit with these women and who was a warrior, not a homemaker.

Carter wondered if the Goa'uld had any hand in this planets way of life. It was peculiar that they didn't talk about the people who were walking around below them, obviously dead, but still walking. Their flesh slowly decaying, their bodies decomposing. Some, Carter had noticed, had been missing hands, arms, legs, and more. Yet, they had still walked, still stalked, and still tried to hurt them.

It could have been the Goa'uld who had come back with there ancestors, posing as friends and then turning on them once they saw they had no defenses?

Then she thought about Ba'al and his incredible timing on this planet. She wondered what he really knew about this planet, having scouted it out long before Stargate Command became interested. Did he know more than he had let on? She didn't know, but it wouldn't surprise her if he did. She idly wondered if he'd made it to the 'Gate yet, and if he had, where had he gone?

On the other hand, she was glad to be rid of him for the moment. He would pop back up in their lives soon enough.

More importantly right now, why were these people not worried about the potential threat to their village? Surely they traveled beyond their village in search of resources. No community this size could sustain themselves forever without foraging beyond their small piece of land.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see Jack enter. Carter stood. "Sir?"

"Teal'c is exploring the outer perimeter of the village and Daniel went in search of a library," Jack mentioned, playing with the thick tie strings on his shirt.

"And us, Sir?" Carter asked, feeling some of the fatigue disappear at the thought of doing something to move their predicament forward.

"I thought we'd go visit some of the other folks; introduce ourselves."

Carter followed Jack out of the building.

* * *

And still, no radio contact.

By now, Hammond would have sent additional SG teams through the Stargate.


	9. Chapter 9

**NOTE: **I made a couple edits here. So if you've read this chapter before October 2, you may wanna skim back through it. I didn't add much, and you won't really be lost moving forward if you don't!

**Chapter 9**

They met up in the morning in the square where breakfast was served by the entire village. Everyone ate together, SG-1 learned, during the season of The Wake. Carter and Jack had learned quite a lot during a couple visits with the villagers. It turned out that most of the villagers were friendly and willing to share their stories with Carter and Jack, though none of it was very helpful in answering their questions.

Jack stopped at one of the tables that had been set up during the early morning hours. Staring at the wanna-be System Lord who was already seated, he couldn't help but grimace. "Been invited back, I see."

"Not exactly an invite. It appears we are to be permanent guests."

"So, I've heard." Jack replied.

Just then, Teal'c joined them. He bowed his head to his team members. "Major Carter. O'Neill."

"Good morning to you, Teal'c," Ba'al replied politely, despite having been ignored in the morning greeting.

"Why has he returned?" Teal'c asked, without a glance at their rival.

"It seems that leaving this place is easier said than done. Where's Daniel?" Carter asked.

"I believe he has found what he was looking for, Major Carter."

"Ah, a library." Jack supplied. "Might as well leave him to it."

They sat down at the same table as Ba'al, though left a seat between them.

The morning sky was silver grey. The air smelled like dirt and was thick and moist. The ground was wet, muddy, and had sucked at their feet with each step they took. Everyone in the village seemed to be out in the open this morning, bustling about in their colorless clothes, caring baskets, tools, and food.

SG-1 noticed that none of the villagers who were in Danh'ai's house yesterday were outside, unless they were not dressing in their bright clothing.

Daniel joined them near the end of breakfast and afterwards, they walked towards the far end of the square. They used Carter's temporary quarters since it was the farthest from everyone else. Carter and Daniel sat down on the cot while Jack leaned against a wall support, and Teal'c stood stoically, hands folded in front of him. Ba'al had joined them without a word as if there was a silent communication that he was, for the time being, once again part of the group. He found a seat on the floor and leaned against another support post.

"What did you discover, Danny boy?" Jack asked.

"Well, we already know that Vishnu derives from ancient Hindu culture on Earth, so I'm guessing he means the same thing here, which means these villagers originated from Earth as well. According to one of the texts I translated, they've been here for while over three thousand years, and they don't travel or trade with others, which would account for their primitive living standards."

"And who is this Fishy guy? Why is he so great?" Jack asked.

"Vishnu is described as the essence of all existence, protector and moderator of order. Usually order fails through the foibles of humanity, and Vishnu overseas its restoration. He is depicted in many ways, but in the text I found, he is seen having four arms, and is blue in color. He holds in his four hands a lotus flower symbolizing creation and fertility. A mace, which was an invincible weapon. The conch is a spiraling sphere that symbolizes eternity, and the Chakra, which we think of as certain points in the body or universe that depict an eternal flowing of energy that restores balance. It was also used as a weapon. It's...think of it like a boomerang. His head is seen as the sun, and was a friend of Indra: god of rain, thunder, and storm."

"Lord Vishnu is also known as the Supreme Lord of the universe to many people on Chulak, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel had stood up and was pacing, thoughts swirling a mile a minute in his head. "That's...interesting, Teal'c considering most of the people on Chulak believed that Apophis was their God."

"It is indeed."

There was a moment of silence as they heard voices outside the tent. They couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded urgent. As Jack quietly strode towards the door, the voices drifted away. Jack cracked the door open and peered out. He could make out the backs of two men, but he didn't recognize them. They strode away quickly. Jack craned his neck out the door and surveyed the area. No one seemed to be paying any attention to the two men. Everyone was busy with their daily tasks or talking amongst each other in the square.

"Anything, Sir?" Carter asked after Jack shut the door and returned his attention to his team.

Jack shrugged. "If it's anything, we'll find out soon enough." He turned to Daniel. "So, what's this Vishy guy have to do with this these people and those...things down the hill?"

Pacing faster, excitement growing, Daniel continued, "I was thinking about that. Remember when Freya mentioned being rewarded with the rain and crops if they've been self-sacrificing?"

They nodded in unison.

"-I think whatever is going on down the hill has something to do with their sacrifices. I'm just not sure exactly how that works yet."

Ba'al had been listening quietly, but now he got to his feet and walked closer to the group. "If Vishnu was the protector of the universe, why would he allow this to happen?"

Daniel must have been waiting for this question from one of them, for he already had a theory. "He is the protector of the universe, but think about it: not everything can co-exist in harmony forever without some outside force intervening. When that happens what would Lord Vishnu do?" Daniel was talking faster as he worked through the theory in his head, one step ahead in his mind. Without waiting for a response, he went on. "Vishnu had the ability to create and to destroy. He would do whatever was necessary to restore the balance of existence, even if that meant death. Sometimes there has to be death in order for there to be life. Remember, Freya said that her ancestors used to travel through the Stargate, but then something happened, which upset the balance."

"Do you know what that was, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, raising his brows.

"In another text I came across, there was a story about how a group of travelers brought back the _mtul iyna nyoki natila reumbo_, which I'm pretty sure translates to 'man with serpent in belly'. I also saw references to the _wafu hai_, which literally translates as 'dead alive'."

"The Goa'uld" and "Snake heads, yippi," Carter and Jack said in unison.

"Dead alive." Teal'c said seriously. "An accurate assessment of what have encountered on this planet."

"You got that right, Teal'c," Jack said, hands in his pockets. "So, are you saying the Goa'uld were invited here and then did something to those things-, er...people?"

"The Goa'uld do not possess the ability that you are speaking of." Ba'al answered. "I have never seen this before."

"He is correct, O'Neill. This is not the work of the Goa'uld." Teal'c answered, defending Ba'al much to his chagrin.

"What do you think, Carter? You've been pretty quiet." Jack mentioned.

"It sounds like Lord Vishnu is responsible for what's happening on this planet; a curse for lack of a better term, for unknowingly and willingly bringing the Goa'uld through the Stargate."

Jack and Daniel nodded. That made sense.

"Any ideas what happened to the Goa'uld?" Jack asked.

"Perhaps they were some of the first to be sacrificed." Teal'c said.

That made sense too. A good possibility. Jack rather liked that possibility. It was not a very dignified death for a Goa'uld.

Perfect.

Daniel had found texts relating to an uprising in about 800 A.D. Earth years. There was mention of the serpent people with glowing eyes who appeared to be allies in the beginning, wanting to trade goods and technology that would benefit both parties. The Shok'hef, as the people were known, didn't have much to offer except a little food, tales of their adventures, and 'Gate addresses to other planets. When they told the Goa'uld that this was all they could offer, the Goa'uld accepted enthusiastically. This took the Shok'hef people by surprise. The Goa'uld offered the use of a healing device to stabilize their race since they were dying for lack of medicine and healers.

"Any mention if the snake heads received the gate addresses, Daniel?"

"No, Jack. But we could assume they received at least a handful since they eventually left or were sacrificed, but not before destroying most of the Shok'hefs' village and its people. We could assume also that they didn't get the healing device in return as I've found no more mention of it."

"I would not doubt it, O'Neill. Though the Goa'uld are an advanced race, new gate addresses would have given the Goa'uld a great advantage in the galaxy."

"Have you ever heard this story, Teal'c? Did Apophis ever mention anything?" Daniel asked.

"He did not."

"Ba'al?" Jack asked.

"There are many stories of the Goa'uld receiving 'Gate addresses from unknowing people, but I believe only a few to be true."

Coming from Ba'al, that information wasn't very reassuring.

"The 'Gate addresses we've found, like the ones on Abydos, are written in Ancient. If the Shok'hef did in fact give the Goa'uld 'Gate addresses, they're probably still here." Daniel's excitement was growing ten-fold. "Which also means that the Shok'hef knew Ancient and the purpose of the writings."

Even Carter's eyes lit up at the prospect of obtaining the 'Gate addresses.

"Great. And I bet I know just who to ask." Jack retorted with sarcasm.

"Sir, I doubt Danh'ai would reveal any knowledge of the addresses, if he does know about them."

Nodding, and swirling a finger around at Carter and Teal'c, he asked. "Could Danh'ai be a Goa'uld, posing as one of the villagers?"

"I did not sense the presence of a symbiote, O'Neill." Teal'c answered.

Carter shook her head.

"Well, that's good at least."

"I know you people would just love an adventure, but I would prefer to leave this planet." Ba'al responded. "Daniel Jackson, what did you find regarding these zombies as you call them?"

Jack was a little surprised that Ba'al wasn't interested in 'Gate addresses, which he could then use to travel to other planets and then do whatever he wanted to do to the people, like stick snakes in their heads. "You're not interested in finding the addresses so you can continue your attempt at universal domination?"

Ba'al laughed at that. "And do all that hard work? No. I would prefer to sit back and let SG-1 find the addresses, and then I'll just take them from you."

"You can try." Carter said.

Ba'al merely smirked at that.

"Okay, say we go looking for these addresses written in Ancient. How does that help us?" Jack asked.

"Well, we'll have proof that the Ancients were here. And what if there's a new set of coordinates we never saw before?"

"Okay. How does that help us get off this place?" Jack asked his next question, the more serious one.

"Since we're already here, shouldn't we at least check it out?" Daniel asked.

"We are coming up on a day past due to check in with the SGC. Reinforcements should be close by now. Let's not stray to far from radio contact."

"Perhaps Ba'al and I should remain in the village to keep a look out," Teal'c offered.

"So it looks like we have a mission here after all," Jack said, himself finally gaining some interest in this planet. "We'll look for these addresses and see if we can get any new ones. Danny, what about these zombies? We'll still need to get out of here."

"Right, Jack. Well, this is gonna be quite a story."

This is taking on a mind of its own, but I'm pretty excited. One of the reasons I love Stargate is because of it's depth. So, I'm excited that my own story is building some depth. I need to write lesson plans and do some article summary thing for my class, so you guys are going to have to give me time to create the story and move the plot forward! The more reviews, the quicker I might get the next chapter posted! ***wink wink***


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Daniel, Carter, and Jack made their way to the library that night in order to seek out more information about where the Ancients had written the addresses, if they had in fact done so. They had casually scoped out the village, but hadn't found any Ancient writing on the walls of any of the buildings. They hadn't found any stone temples or secret passages, either. Though, Daniel was positive it existed some where nearby. They just had to do what they did best and not muck things up too badly. And they probably should find it quickly before reinforcements came because a bunch of SG units bounding into this village with Danh'ai as their leader wouldn't garner them any brownie points.

One thing SG-1 had discovered was that none of their radios was transmitting a frequency, because they couldn't talk to each other. That meant that they wouldn't be able to alert back up units. And they had tried. Fortunately, the SG teams all had microchip locators embedded under their skin, so it would be a cinch for back up to find them.

The plan was for Teal'c to sneak out of the village and down the hillside, avoid the zombies, and find the SG units in time and warn them about the zombies as well as Danh'ai. The only problem was that Danh'ai planned to keep them in the village and seemed very successful so far. Even Ba'al hadn't managed to get too far, and who wanted him around?

While Jack kept a look out, Daniel and Carter poured through the texts in the village's library. The texts were numerous and well cataloged. Daniel had been surprised how Earth-like the library had been organized; thankful too since he wouldn't waste time looking for things.

Carter and Daniel had been talking in muted tones, though there was no missing the excitement in their voices. Jack, on the other hand was having that gut feeling that something was about to happen, he just wasn't sure what.

These gut feelings were rarely ever wrong. He didn't like it. But until he had more to go on, he didn't risk interrupting the scientists. Time went on, he checked his watch. There was no noise in the village. He thought it should be a good thing. No noise meant that the village should be asleep. He hoped. He had an odd feeling that any moment now, Danh'ai and his people would come traipsing into the village with Teal'c and the SG teams in chains, but so far the coast on that was clear. Even if Teal'c was nearby, Jack knew he would never know it until he was meant to.

"Daniel, I found a map," Carter said.

Daniel moved next to Carter and studied the map. "This is remarkable. Look at all the detail. There's the Stargate, and here we are." He pointed to the points of interest on the map.

Jack appeared, not really caring about the map itself, but how it would help them find the addresses, help these people, and get off this damn planet. He pointed towards a weird drawing on the map. "What's that?"

Daniel grabbed the map, holding it closer. He grabbed his magnifier and studied the object Jack had pointed to. After a moment, he hurriedly grabbed a text, flipping pages, and then slammed his hand down. "Jack you're a genius! That has to be where the cartouche is. I found references of it all throughout-" he swiped his hand in an ark in reference to the heap of texts that were laying open in various places.

"Did you hear that, Carter? Daniel thinks I'm a genius." He had a slight smirk on his lips.

"You try to hide it well, Sir."

Hmmm, Jack thought. Though his lips didn't show it, the sparkle in his eyes gave away that he enjoyed the compliment and knew that his team knew him well enough to get his sarcasm and his playing dumb act.

"Okay, campers, should we head out to that little doohicky thing, then?"

"Not so fast, Jack. It'll take at least a days hike, so we're likely to be missed, and we can't contact Teal'c to let him know where we're going-"

"Oh, pssch," Jack replied with a wave of his hand.

"-and we'll have to avoid the _wafu hai_."

"The waffle hi?" Jack asked, confused. Or was he?

"The undead, Sir," Carter answered without missing a beat.

"Ah, yes. Let's not forget about _them._"

* * *

In the dark, Teal'c could see pretty well. He was crouched in some brush, as he had been for some time, listening and waiting.

It was a quiet night, quieter than the past few had been before they'd came upon the village. The _wafu hai_ seemed to be thinning out if Teal'c's assessment was correct. Why that was, he couldn't be sure. They were either dying off or spreading out in their wandering. The moonshine glinted off the few he could see. When he'd listened to the sounds of quiet for long enough to learn their pattern, he pulled out his Zat'nik'tel and fired twice at each of the _wafu hai_ in his range. Each collapsed.

After the round of Zat'nik'tel bursts, Teal'c deactivated the weapon and held his breath while listening for any unusual patterns in the silence that followed. He could detect no change.

He waited some more, his eyes focused on any movement out in the clearing. When time passed and he could sense no other presence, he moved away from the brush, and bent low, he ran alongside the hill towards the trees and the Stargate.

* * *

They didn't have much to pack, but for over a day's hike, they wanted to be prepared. Jack snuck around to gather food, splitting it between their packs when he got back to Carter's quarters. Zipping up the last pack, Jack said, "we'll leave in 20 minutes."

* * *

"I left Teal'c a note where he'll find it but the others won't," Daniel replied as he zippered his pack.

"Sir, it appears that our back-up have been spotted. There's talk of bringing them here." Carter said as she entered her quarters. She'd been making her rounds, checking to see who was out and about.

Jack nodded. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can...leave." He walked to the door and opened it a crack. When he was satisfied, he motioned the others to follow. Silently but swiftly, they rounded the building and headed away from the village, towards the not too distant slope of the hill on the opposite side from which they had arrived.

* * *

Teal'c had seen a large party of men wearing the clothes of Danh'ai's villagers. Not the brightly woven fabric, but that of the same roughness and color of a bag of pig feed. As the clock was ticking more in favor of the night, Teal'c was not worried, but merely curious as to what these men were up to. He had yet to see the SG teams, but had seen an ariel bird fly overhead, and he assumed Danh'ai's people had seen it too.

He silently followed the group. At the edge of the woods, where the Stargate lay within, Danh'ai's men stopped and seemed to be arguing about entering the trees. Teal'c ducked under a low hanging branch and entered the woods ahead of the group, hoping to catch sight of an SG team before the others did. Where he entered, he ran swiftly, making no sounds. He listened for the sound of footfalls, snapping twigs, crunching leaves, but all was silent. He couldn't hear the moans and groans of the _wafu hai_ either.

Where had the _wafu hai_ gone? Something was definitely off. His emotions in check on the outside, on the inside, all Teal'c wanted to do was uncover Danh'ai's secret and expose the true face of the false god Vishnu to the people of Danh'ai's village. Then he wanted to safely return through the Chappa'ai with the remainder of SG-1. But he would never allow anyone else to see it, for a warrior trained in the art of great skill and cunning who showed weakness might as well be dead.

It was then that he heard a crackle of static on his radio. It sounded as if the radio was struggling to pick up a frequency. Teal'c turned the knob to change the frequency and he could hear a voice he recognized come through, though there was still a lot of static. Teal'c depressed the talk button. "Major Griff. This is Teal'c. Do you copy?"

A few seconds ticked by and then: "Teal'c. Griff. We've been trying to reach SG-1 on the radio for hours. Is everyone okay?"

"We are okay. There appears to be something on this planet blocking our signal. What is your location?"

A reply came through and Teal'c responded, "I am nearby. I will meet you."

"Copy." Griff answered, and though Teal'c did not hear it, there was a sigh of relief on the other end.

* * *

No path had been created on this side of the hill, so the downward approach was an obstacle for SG-1 and slowed their pace more than they cared for. Once they had reached the bottom without anyone stopping them, Carter pulled out the compass and they began to track their way to the location where they believed the Ancient cartouche to be located.

They had been walking for several minutes. Just as on the other side of the hill, the land was mostly flat with small valleys, but there was more growth here. Instead of dirt and rocks as the ground had been before, on this side, it was more of a meadow with trees and bushes, flowers, and wildlife. Some of the animals they saw looked similar to what they had on Earth, but were obviously a different breed or species. They also hadn't seen any of the _wafu hai_ walking around, and that concerned them just as much as _seeing_ them would concern them. The animals did not appear threatened, even by Daniel, Carter, and Jack, which was a bit curious. Most animals on Earth, such as rabbits and squirrels were used to people, but other animals would scurry away if approached. These animals grazed lazily, glanced at SG-1's presence, but did not move.

"I'm still getting that odd feeling, Carter. How about you?" Jack said after some silence.

"It does feel like we've landed on a different planet." Daniel answered.

Carter agreed. "It seems like this side gets more rainfall, which doesn't seem possible within such a relatively small area." Carter noted, going into science geek mode.

"Why live on top of the hill?" Jack asked, looking around.

"To protect themselves from that _wafu hai_, Jack." Daniel said.

"You don't believe that sacrificial baloney, do you Daniel?"

"No, Jack, but they do. Obviously, its a ploy on Danh'ai's part to keep his people working hard and loyal to him."

"What about this Vishnu god? You said he's known as the same thing on Earth, right? How's he play into this?" Jack asked as they continued.

"These people believe in their gods' existence just as our people did thousands of years ago. Danh'ai obviously uses their power and vengeful nature to influence his people to stay fearful, thus loyal."

"Fear of hunger can be pretty powerful," Carter mused. "If there's no rain, there are no crops," she continued, thinking about the rain barrel and how proud Freya had been at its fullness.

"So all we have to do is convince enough of them that Vishnu doesn't exist and that it'll rain whether or not they are self-sacrificing. Should be a piece of cake!" Jack retorted. "Speaking of cake..."

"I don't think they have cake here, Sir." Carter said, smirking slightly. As long as there was cake, the Colonel could get through anything, she thought.

"So, the sooner we can find this cartouche, prove that Vishnu doesn't exist, and get Danh'ai demoted, the sooner we can leave and get cake." Jack said, picking up the pace.

Daniel and Carter looked at each other and rolled their eyes with smiles on their lips. They quickened their pace to match Jacks. It sounded good to them too.

* * *

Teal'c met up with SG-2, while SG-3 remained behind guarding the 'Gate. Teal'c led them back towards the village while getting them caught up to speed on their current situation. At the mention of the _wafu hai_, several of the members of SG-2 raised their weapons a little higher.

They reached the path that lead to the village without encountering anyone, and Teal'c and SG-2 arrived at Carter's quarters without incident. Now appeared to be the time of day where all the villagers were inside for the evening meal. When no reply came after Teal'c's knock, Teal'c opened the door and entered. Major Griff entered last and closed the door behind him.

"Where's Colonel O'Neill?"

"I am unsure of their whereabouts." Teal'c responded, then noticing the strange arrangement of his backpack and spare BDU's, Teal'c walked over and examined the pile. From one of the zippered pockets of his pack, he pulled out a slip of paper with several symbols and a language that was not English. Teal'c stared at the paper for a moment and then handed it to Major Griff. "Daniel Jackson has left us a message."

Major Griff looked at the paper and the foreign writing and then looked up at Teal'c with a cocked eyebrow. He knew enough to know to be straightforward when it came to Teal'c. "What did Dr. Jackson say?"

"The remainder of SG-1 is currently in search of an Ancient cartouche, and that we are to expose Danh'ai's false beliefs to his people so that they may be free from him. And stop the Season of the Wake from continuing."

"That's all we gotta do?" Griff asked, glancing at his team warily.

Teal'c, not getting his sarcasm, responded with, "it will be a difficult challenge, Major Griff. It is one not to be taken lightly."

"Right."

TBC


End file.
